Season ends with a cup

FORRES St Lawrence players were full of sparkle as they clinched the Knockout Cup against Highland – and brought their league season to a close with an emphatic win over Nairn County at the wekend.

The venue for the cup final was changed at the last minute, being moved to the Grant Park as the Nairn Links was unfit.

Forres dominated the Highland batsmen, after winning the toss and asking Highland to bat first.

Only 18 runs off the first 10, a grip on the game which only loosened slightly as the overs ticked away, with Highland finishing on 118 for two off their 30 overs, Graham Watson 52 not out, and Regan Francis run out on 49.

In reply Forres passed the total in the 22nd over with Al Farr battering the Highland openers for 42.

Man of the match was Forres all rounder Gus Farr who matched his brother with 42 not out, and a bowling spell of 0 for 33.

Forres skipper Nigel Gerrard was delighted with his side’s win, the first time the knock out cup has been won by Forres in 57 years. Winning the toss, Nairn decided to bat first, opening with Neil Gibson and David Bowie. The Forres pair of Derek Ross and Fraser Merricks kept a stranglehold on the Nairn batsmen, allowing just one run (a wide) in the first seven overs.

However, the damage to the batting line up started in the fourth over when Bowie was bowled neck and crop by Fraser Merricks for 0, then Mike Anniss was bowled by a ball that pitched on the off and bowled him round his legs for 0.

Fraser McBean now had to keep an end up with Gibson if Nairn were to get anything out of the game, but Gibson was finding it very difficult to score anything.

Ten overs saw just six on the board, which only moved to 11 by the time 15 overs had been bowled.

A change of bowling saw little respite for the Nairn batsmen as Gus Farr and Arron Roberts continued to smother the scoring, with 21 on the board after 20 overs.

Gibson flashed at the ball for four before he fell to a straight ball from Roberts for 11, the score on 34 for three.

Stephen Anniss now joined McBean, but two runs later McBean chopped the ball onto his own stumps off Gus Farr for 20.

Adrian Neill came and went as he played at a wide ball from Farr, and was caught behind for one. Anniss and new batsman John Duff took fivefrom Forres before Anniss deflected a quick ball off the top of his bat handle which popped up for Derek Ross to take at backward square leg.

Duff was joined by Scott Macdonald and this pair managed to see Roberts off as David Durance was given a bowl.

The sixty mark was passed as the Nairn pair scrambled the runs, and as their confidence grew Duff tried to place a shot off Farr which ended up in the hands of Arron Mclean at gully, out for 13.

Youngster Alex Green presented a simple caught and bowled for Durance, which left the last two wickets for Farr to mop up – first MacDonald was caught on the mid-on boundary by Arron Roberts for 14, then Callum Morris was bowled for four. Nairn were all out for 75 in the 29th over, Gus Farr taking six for 35.

A shake-up in the Forres batting order saw Derek Ross opening the batting with Nigel Gerrard, but no heroics for him this week as he struggled to do anything other than defend. He was put out of his misery when he nicked one through to keeper Mike Anniss, off his son Stephen’s bowling for two.

Al Farr was sent in to do his stuff but, despite seeing the slow ball, went through with his shot, and was caught by MacDonald at slip as he edged the ball through.

David Durance was given the chance to see some action, a chance he grasped, setting up a 53 run partnership with his skipper as they saw Forres towards the winning line.

The partnership was broken when Durance took a blow to the eye, as the ball deflected off his forearm onto his face, cutting his eyebrow and next ball he swiped at a delivery from Duff which he missed and went on to bowl him for 34.

Iain Roberts was in at the last as Forres passed the Nairn total for the loss of three wickets with Nigel Gerrard 28 not out.